Indoor Swimming Pools: They’re Upside-Down Monolithic Domes!

Controlling Humidity

The main issue with an indoor swimming pool facility is humidity control. A pool facility has two kinds of water. The first is the water in the pool. The second is water in a gaseous state, above the pool and within the entire building. This gaseous water vapor destroys most indoor pool facilities. It can go through holes that it would never get through as a liquid. It can penetrate and be absorbed by paint and wood, swell that wood, create bacteria and cause the wood to rot. Water vapor is an aggressive destroyer. It can even destroy iron by creating rust.

Dehumidification

Properly treating the air above the swimming pool – that second pool of water – is essential. To accomplish this, a dehumidification system that is either a dehumidifier or an air conditioner must be installed. The water in the air needs to be extracted so the relative humidity can be lowered to a livable level. This water evaporation process must be continuous.

Wood, steel and most conventional structures do not respond well to this second pool, and most are extremely susceptible to humidity damage. Nor is there an easy solution since continuous running of an air conditioner or dehumidifier is extremely expensive.

The Monolithic Dome Advantage

Indoor swimming pools are one of the many facilities where Monolithic Domes really shine. Essentially, a dome is an upside-down swimming pool. It has no trouble handling the two pools of water. Water vapors cannot penetrate the dome shell and cause rot, bacteria or rust.

Save Money and Energy

Super-insulated Monolithic Dome pool facilities cut energy costs in two ways. 1) Since almost no heat goes through the shell, it’s easy to keep the water and ambient temperatures at a steady 78 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 2) The cost of reducing humidity is greatly reduced because the Monolithic Dome is not susceptible to high humidity damage. In fact, in a Monolithic Dome, the humidity can be allowed to rise higher than in conventional structures – especially when the building is not in use.

An enormous amount of money can be saved by not constantly running dehumidifiers.

A Monolithic Dome indoor pool facility is not endangered by a dehumidifying system that is accidentally turned off – as some conventional buildings have been. Such an accident can quickly cause extensive damage.

Clear Span Advantage

A Monolithic Dome is clear span. No interior columns or posts are required, nor are spectacular trusses across the pool. More importantly, materials used in the dome’s construction will not rot or absorb water.

A Monolithic Dome makes a tremendous recreation facility. It will draw the young and old alike. Swimming pools can be as small as an over-sized hot tub or as large as an Olympic-size swimming pool. With careful planning, an entire community can benefit from an indoor Monolithic Dome pool facility.

Irie is Jamaican for alright. And Irie is the name owner Jerri Hudson chose for her new, 1000-square-foot Monolithic Dome home that sits on a 40-acre, wooded site in Missouri. Since moving in this past November, Jerri has found her new home both comfortable and secure — exactly what she wanted.

The island of Mauritius is a tropical paradise known for its deep blue waters and sandy white beaches. Along the west coast of Mauritius, a lighthouse lights the way to Albion, a perfect blend of 21st Century living and semi-remote tranquility. Its lush landscapes are interwoven into contemporary structures like the Albion Club Med La Plantation and a Monolithic Dome paradise—the Domes of Albion.

What’s a fertilizer blend plant’s number-one enemy? Moisture! If water gets into or condensation forms inside a storage unit, it quite quickly begins degrading the fertilizer and forming rust. But Monolithic uses a technology that keeps that troublesome process to a minimum.

The Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop in May is cancelled. Our workshops are very popular with over 2,500 students so far. Occasionally, interest in a particular workshop is too low. This is the case with May. The April workshop is filling up just fine. There is still room if you wish to attend this spring — so sign up now.

Theresa and Richard Wisner shared their experiences with Oregon Coast Today about constructing a dome home. Tori Tobias interviews the Wisners and follows their ups and downs from “What have we done?” to “Walking into that house more than any other house I’ve ever lived in is comforting.”

Bear markets are changing housing from McMansions to “disaster chic” according to Alan Hall. In his article for Elliottwave International, Hall writes that the bear markets of the last eight years have affected housing design. “In other words, eight years ago, as social mood was rolling over to the downside, McMansions were on the way out.”

Tupelo Public Schools and the City of Tupelo, Mississippi plan to construct three Monolithic Dome multipurpose buildings and safe rooms. As WTVA reports, the district wants the buildings for more than just a safe place during a storm but also as a new gym, classrooms, and more.

Curling is called chess on ice. It’s easy to see why. It requires a unique combination of strategy, teamwork, and skill. People love it. Its popularity has exploded — especially after it became an Olympic sport. With more players than ever, more curling rinks are needed. One person told me there are 35 proposed rinks for the Chicago area alone. We’ve been receiving more calls and decided to look at how a dedicated curling facility would work in the Monolithic Dome.